Self-energizing electrolytic water correction device



Oct. 12, 1948. BUTLER 2,451,067

SELF -ENERG I Z ING ELECTROLYTI C WATER CORRECT ION DEVICE Filed Oct. 50, 1946 fHrEJ-JZZIYF'. EDGAR M B0 715/? Patented Oct. 12, 1948 SELF-ENERGIZING ELECTROLYTIC WATER CORRECTION DEVICE Edgar M. Butler, New Orleans,- La. Application October 30. 1946, Serial No. 706,741

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a self-energizing electrolytic water correction device, and more particularly to a device in which the cartridge, or core is enclosed and supported within a sheath formed of closely wound turns of a wire spring, the "ends of which are provided with open turns of rapidly increasing diameter and adapted to be easily contracted for mountin within a conduit.

The present invention constitutes an improvement upon the invention disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 626,191, filed November 2 1945, of which this application is a continuation-in-part. In the parent application the sheath for the core, or cartridge, is formed with closely wound intermediate turns for resiliently and grippingly engaging the cartridge and with loosely wound end turns of increasing diameter to provide helical or volute end springs for mounting the device Within a conduit, or the like. In the preferred form of my present invention the end turns are closely spaced longitudinally to provide substantially flat spring helices, more nearly approaching spirals than the volute end springs of my former invention.

Some of the advantages of my present invention are that the provision of relatively fiat helical end turns, or spiral end turns, permit the use of a shorter packing box without subjecting the lid of the box to undue spring pressure, and allow the installation of the device in a shorter length of conduit. With the more widely spaced helical end turns of my previous invention, the conduit had to be longer, the larger its diameter, in order to contain the unit, whereas with the flatter helical end turns, or spirals, of my present invention, the conduit length required for the mounting of the device is independent of the diameter of the conduit.

The sprin type sheath, in general, has advantages over a solid wall type of sheath in that the sprin may be formed in one operation from commercially available wire, with no finishing operations other than the plating and possibly burnishing of the wire necessary. The spring type of sheath is, therefore, cheaper and quicker to make. Likewise, the assembly of a spring type sheath is a simpler operation than positioning and clamping the cartridge, or core, in a solid wall sheath, again resulting in cheaper and more rapid manufacturing.

From a mechanical standpoint, the spring type of sheath has the advantage that the end turns providin the mounting means for the device are integral with the closely wound sheath portion that resiliently and grippingly engages the cartridge, or core, thereby obviating the necessity of a separate mounting such as is required in the case of a solid wall type of sheath. Furthermore, in the solid wall type of sheath separate springs or clamp bolts are required to maintain mechani-.

cal and electrical contact as the cartridge, or core, decomposes, whereas in the case of the spring type sheath, contact is maintained because of the resilient contractible and expansible character of the closely wound intermediate portion of the spring type sheath. Thus, the'spring type sheath maintains good electrical contact with the cartridge, or core, during the use of the device without the need of additional clamping means.

From an electrolytic standpoint, the spring type sheath gives a much more effective electrolytic action in that it provides a much more extensive area of both the cartridge, or negative element, and of the sheath, or positive element, resulting in the setting up of a very extensive galvanic cell action. The efiiciency of the galvanic action would decrease rapidly if the surfaces of the cartridge, or negative element, and of the spring sheath, or. cathode element, were to become separated, but with a coiled spring sheath, no such separation takes place during the use of the device. .Instead, the extensive area of contact between the negative element and the positive element is continuously maintained at substantially the original value where a spring type sheath is employed.

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide a self-energizing electrolytic water correction device possessing the manufacturing, mechanical and electrolytic advantages above outlined.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a self-energizin electrolytic water correction device in which the positive element is in the form of a spring having intermediate relatively closely wound turns for enclosing and resiliently gripping the negative element, or cartridge, and-having relatively flat helical, or spiral, turns of increasing diameter at the end to provide means for mounting the device within a conduit, or the like.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevational view of a self-energizing electrolytic water correction device embodying my present invention, with parts broken away and in section, showing the installaq tion of such device in'a conduit, a portion of the vonduit being shown in longitudinal section;

Figure 2 is a topplan view of the device, re-

' moved from the conduit, showing the larger overall diameter of the end turns in normal position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially As shown on the drawings: in

The reference numeral lit-indicatesgenerally a self-energizing electrolytic water correction de 1 a vice embodying my present invention, illustrated in Figure 1 as installed within a conduitl t Said device I comprises a cartridge t2, which may suitably be a solid bar, cylindrical in form, of a metal or alloy, such as zinc, aluminum. or: mag-e nesium, to constitute the negative element of the electrolytic device.

A spring: type sheath, indicated generallyby the reference numeral l3, constitutes the positive element of the electrolytic device and may be formed, for instance, of brass, phosphor bronze, or ordinary bronze, with, preferably, an over-all coating of silver plate. In order to get themaxh mum differential potential between the negative element and the positive-element, it is. advantageous that. the metal: or alloy of. the: exposed surface of thejshafih' 13 be at lea-st. as low inthe electromotive force series ascopper;

Said sheath l3 com-prises andntermed-iate portion..,|' ofclosely wound turns. of wire that may be circular in cross section, as illustrated vin Figure 1, or rectangular in cross section, as il;-; lustrated' inFigure 4., Although the turns M are shown in laterally contacting relationship, they may be spaced as much as 0.020 to 0.640 inch, and. in any event, would be in sufficiently loose lateral :contact .to. permitv the seepage ofv the electrolyte, such as water containing dissolved solids, between the adjacent turns; Before be,- 7

diameter oithe closely spaced turns; l 4; would be slightly less than the outside diameter of the cartridge, in the neighborhood. of about a. of an inch less-for a cartridge, of about inch: di-

ameter, the difference being increased as the diameter or the cartridge is: increased. This: insures a resilient gripping action: between the turns 14 and the outer surfacevof the cartridge t2, such that. saidsturns resiliently and frietionally grip. and retain said. cartridge in place within the sheath formed by the closely spaced turns l4.

7 Said turns l4 extend for substantially the enthe length of the cartridge [Lubeyondthe endstof which the diameters of'ithe turnsra idl increase toprovide substantially'flat helical, or; spiral, end turns l5 and [6. Said end turns: I and: Hi may lie entirely within; planes that include or are parallelto the planes-of the end faces of; the cartridge l-2,.or may: extend as helicalturnsthatv are rather closely spaced longitudinally'fromthe end faces of said cartridge, The. greatest out:-

side diameter of the end, turns [5 and I6 is normallyslightlygreater than the inside diameter 7 4 m V displacement in the conduit. Since the end turns are open, they afiord but little obstruction to the flow of water through the conduit, at the same time leaving the end faces of the cartridge l2 7 directly exposed to contact with such water.

The conduit H may, for instance, represent a section of pipe, or hose, forming a part of the water circulatin system of an internal combustion engine, such asthat of'1an.-automobile. When the-device lflis mounted in such a conduit, it is then exposed to the water flowing therethrough. Whenever such water contains dissolved solids, as is necessarily the case unless distilled water were to be used, there is an electrolytic action set up between the negative element that: constituted by the cartridge I2 and the positive element that is" constituted by spring type sheath l3. The greater part of the galvanic actionwill, of course, occur between the closely wound turns [4 and the cartridge l2. As the result of such. electrolytic action, thejmetal of of such scale. forming ingredients isfformed,

rather than the relatively-hard, adhering scale, that forms on the surfaces of the circulatory system, including the pumps, in the absencev of a, device such as herein described. The presence of; my device in the. water of a circulatory system also decreases the oxygenecorrosionof. themetal; V 7 parts of. system, dueto the fact that. dissolved oxygen in the. water is largely removed by the galuanicaction oi the device. The internal. sure,

faces ofthe water jacket, or other heat transfer medium, are thus kept cleaner, with theresult. that, greater 1 heat transferf :efiiciency is, main; tained betweemthe engine parts-and: the water of. the circulatory system.

As previously stated, the wire of: the spring:

type sheath le, instead of being circular, as indicated at H! .(Fig. 1) maybe rectangulanasv indicated, at 2:! (Fi .4 The cartridge 12,;may. also bepolygonal in cross, section, rather than,

circular, but for bestv results it should'be 'of a; crosssection closely approximating circular in; fOI'JfiL', The term positive as used'hereindesige metals positioned below hydrogen in the.

electromotive force series of metals. The term" .neg-a-tive" as used herein designates metalsposi:

tioned above, hydrogen in the electromotive fosce series. of metals.

It will, of coursabe understood that various V in the former relatively flat helicesjtheelos'ely l; claim'as my invention? :1 Eli; A,=ga1van-ic; water correction 'dCViCEYGOIIlgI'iSH a. metal: core constituting the negativevelee mentand a metal spring constituting the: positive elemenhlsaid spring having closely woundhelical coilsirictionally gripping; said core toretaingthe same and having end coils of increasingzdiameter wound coils being normally Of an inside diameter .2; An: eleotrolyticwater correction deyioe come prising a cylindrical bar of zinc and an open-ended helically coiler spring sheath therefor having a surface of a metal at least as low as copper in the electromotive force series, said sheath having closely wound turns of a continuous wire frictionally gripping said bar to retain the same and having longitudinally closely spaced end turn of rapidly increasing diameter for supporting said bar and sheath within a conduit.

3. A self-energizing galvanic Water correction device adapted for self-supporting position in a conduit, said device comprising a metallic core constituting the negative element, and metallic core sheathing and supporting means constituting the positive element and consisting of a helically coiled spring formed of a metal providing an effective potential difierence with respect to the metal of said core, said spring having closely wound turns resiliently engaging an intermediate portion of said core and having end turns of increased diameter contractible for insertion into a conduit and thereafter expansible into resilient gripping engagement with said conduit.

4. A self-energizing galvanic water correction device comprising a cylindrical metal core constituting the negative element and an open-ended helically coiled metal spring constituting the positive element, said spring having closely wound coils frictionally gripping said core to retain the same against displacement yet expansible to accommodate expansion of said core in use, and said spring having integral end coils of increasing 6 diameter for supporting said device within a conduit.

5. A self-energizing galvanic electrolytic water correction device comprising a metal core constituting the negative element and a jacket constituting the positive element, said jacket consisting of a plurality of helical turns of resilient metal wire tightly wound and closely spaced along substantially the full length of said core and resiliently and frictionally gripping said core to retain the same and provide a support therefor.

6. A self-energizing galvanic Water correction device comprising a metal core constituting the negative element and a helically coiled metal spring constituting the positive element, said spring having a closely wound coil frictionally gripping said core to retain the same against displacement yet expansible to accommodate expansion of said core and having end coils of increasing diameter in the form of relatively fiat helices.

EDGAR M. BUTLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 577,134 Harrison Feb. 16, 1897 1,970,604 Henry Aug. 21, 1934 2,424,145 Butler July 15, 1947 

